Rain-forested peaks rise to kiss the clouds,Great rivers wander, flowing in every direction.In secret caves, sages dwell in silence,Guardians of the hidden powers of the universe.This is the paradise isle—Its forests breathing the air that sustains mankind. O Plata, Sandara, Arittha,Shiva, Vessavana, Vishwadeva! The palaces of ancient Hela were carved of moonstone,Gleaming bright beneath the…
King Devakonda counseled me: “Go, to the island of Sinhala.”And Koman, the Arab trader, promised: “Ask of me anything you desire.”If fate decrees the journey, then I must go—For there lies an island paradise, rising from the sea. Let us follow the signs spoken by the ancients,Of a land most fertile, praised by Indians of…
I am alone, lost in the deep forest.The stranger’s roar shatters the silence—It is fierce, it is terrifying.There is no place to run,No refuge to hide.Where are my others? The colony is not yet formed,Only fear has taken shape.Shadows twist into strange illusions,And the air trembles with a dreadful roar.Am I to be prey, caught…
Farmer, behold my little son,One day he will grow to eat rice from the earth.O God, look—my child sleeps in peace,Soft as the evening breeze. Son, do you dream of being cradledIn the lap of gentle Malokudevi?Do you see the Bodhi leaves swaying in the night wind,Glistening softly under the silver moonlight? Do you dream…
The fallen matalus of the coconut treesScatter gently upon the path of the Buddha,Easing the weariness of His sacred feet.He walks in all four directions,Seeking those wise enough to cross beyond samsara.Still, I feel His presence—Upon the distant hills, within the nearby forest. The Buddha arrives,The Buddha arrives alone. Whispers rise of Mathura and Mathugama,Where…